Page 115 - Christie's Inidian and HImalayan Works of Art, March 2019

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PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE HONOLULU COLLECTION
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A CARVED CONCH WITH GILT-BRONZE MOUNT A BRONZE VAJRA AND A BRONZE PHURBA
TIBET, 18TH-19TH CENTURY TIBET, 14TH AND 17TH CENTURY
9æ in. (23.8 cm.) long 5 and 9√ in. (12.7 and 25 cm.) long
$8,000-12,000 $3,000-5,000

PROVENANCE The vajra (Tib: dorje) symbolizes the male aspects of enlightenment
Chak Galleries, Hong Kong, 1995
often described as “skillfull means” and “compassion,” while also
The conch shell, a symbol of the voice of the Buddha, represents representing the adamantine nature of Vajrayana teachings and
the transmission of Buddhist teachings. This conch is both an the enlightened beings who transmit them. The kila (Tib: phurba)
auspicious symbol and a ritual implement in the Tibetan Buddhist is an implement wielded to ward of demonic obstructions and
tradition. During ritual performances, it is used as a musical to protect the Vajrayana Buddhist religion by those in pursuit of
instrument and as a container for water. The elaborate decoration enlightenment. The three heads at its fnial represent the deity
of real conch shells, such as the present example, became Vajrakilaya, of whom this is an embodiment.
prominent in the seventeenth century.
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item nos. 24457
Himalayan Art Resources (himalayanart.org), item no. 24469. and 24458.
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